In college towns, poverty dips without students

The Associated Press

Monday

Jul 29, 2013 at 12:57 PM

A new report released Monday by the U.S. Census shows that two Florida cities with large concentrations of college students experience big declines in poverty rates when college students aren't counted.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Talk about your struggling college students.

A new report released Monday by the U.S. Census shows that two Florida cities with large concentrations of college students experience big declines in poverty rates when college students aren't counted.

The poverty rate in Gainesville, home of the University of Florida, declines 15.5 percentage points when college students not living with relatives are excluded. In Leon County, home of Florida State University, the dip is 11.5 percentage points.

Both cities have poverty rates significantly higher than the national average of 15.2 percent.

Including college students, more than a third of all residents in Gainesville live below the poverty line. In Tallahassee, it's under a third of all residents.

The report suggests students artificially inflate poverty counts.

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